Q. What is low vision?
A. Low vision is a visual impairment, not correctable by standard glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, that interferes with a person's ability to perform everyday activities.
Q. What causes low vision?
A. Low vision can result from a variety of diseases, disorders, and injuries that affect the eye. Many people with low vision have age-related macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy. Age-related macular degeneration accounts for almost 45 percent of all cases of low vision.
Q. How many people have low vision?
A. Millions of Americans have low vision. About 135 million people around the world have low vision.
Q. What should a person do if he or she knows someone with low vision?
A. Urge that person to make an appointment with an eye care professional for an eye examination. Then help the person find out about low vision and vision rehabilitation services and encourage him or her to take advantage of all available resources.
Q. How much does a low vision evaluation cost?
A. While costs vary, typically a low vision evaluation costs between $150 and $375. Medicare and insurance may cover a majority of the costs.
"Original" Medicare does NOT cover the refraction fee. The patient is responsible for the out-of-pocket cost of the refraction, which determines the need for an eyeglass prescription.
Q. What is the refraction?
A. The refraction is a critical part of a low vision evaluation and is performed with different equipment during the exam. The doctor carefully leads you through this specialized refraction, which may take most of your examination time.
The fee depends on the time and complexity of the refraction. Medicare has never paid for this part of an examination and some insurance/supplement does not cover this procedure. The refraction fee is an out-of-pocket expense and may range from $75 to $175, while $150 is a common amount.
Q. Is a low vision examination covered by health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare?
A. Policies vary by state, but generally Medicare will cover low vision examinations (except for the refraction fee) performed by eye care professionals. Private health insurance may cover low vision examinations, but should check with the insurance carrier to be sure. |
| Did you know? |
| One in six Americans age 45 or older –representing 16.5 million people-report some form of vision impairment even when wearing lenses. |
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| By age 76, one in four report some form of vision impairment. |
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| The number of visually impaired persons will double by 2030. |
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| There is an extremely high incidence (greater than 50%) of visual and visual-cognitive disorders in neurologically impaired patients (traumatic brain injury, cerebral vascular accidents, multiple sclerosis etc.) Rosalind Gianutsos, Ph.D. (NORA) |
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